The law against sexual harassment and the task at hand
What the law has to say about sexual harassment at the workplace and the working of Internal Complaints Committees.
Author: Moderator
Budget 2021: What’s in it for research?
For a science budget in the backdrop of a pandemic, it does make big moves but leaves some crucial details to be filled in later. Finance Minister quoted Rabindranath Tagore in her budget speech – “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark”. Until the details come in, faith must be kept that what the big print has given, the fine print will not take away.
Why the national ayurveda protocol on COVID management appears wanting
The protocol thus is faithful neither to the Ayurvedic classics nor to conventional diagnostic criteria. A document endorsed by the country’s Prime Minister would be expected to be clear, error-free and trustworthy. The document in question sadly has these attributes only faintly.
Gender Diversity in Science Education and Research: Student Aspirations
The single most important factor that appeared to help students is a good mentor. Sustained interaction with a mentor who provided encouraging and positive counselling, along with access to support groups (online or offline, peers or family) is what helped students overcome bias. Unfortunately, this piecemeal and highly personalized route is not sufficient if we wish to address bias at the national level, in terms of policy.
Hindsight is 2020: Science Funding Versus Focus in the COVID-era
The core question I propose to discuss is “What makes the science and the scientist themselves vulnerable, en route to … discoveries in COVID times”? Everyone would agree that better funding and planning for infrastructure, along with an influx of fresh ideas, would help buffer us in times of need. Yet, the ground realities about the relationship between policy makers and stakeholders seems further than resolved. Even after seven decades of independence, why so? A large part of this discussion will focus on the qualitative learnings from history and reflect on how we can apply those in post-COVID times.
Sexual harassment at higher education institutes: what needs to be done?
Drawing from years of experience in dealing with cases associated with sexual harassment in higher education institutes, Preeti Karmarkar examines the various challenges faced in the implementation of the existing guidelines.
NEP 2020 on Higher Education: Wishing Away Structural Problems, Wishing a Magical Solution
The National Education Policy 2020 does not address the structural problems in higher education today. It instead merely rejigs the existing edifice, creates new institutions & reimagines the system, all in the hope that a new, creative one will then emerge.
The many kinds of underprivileging: women's lives matter, from root to STEM
Issues related to empowerment of women in Academia have been discussed at various forums for the last two decades. But what has been achieved and what remains to be achieved? Which recommendations were implemented and which were not? Why? Vineeta Bal examines these issues with special reference to the current socio-economic situation of India.
Teaching through tragedy: How teachers can cope with the virtual classroom
In a traditional classroom, the teacher acts as both an instructor and as a guide, but this changes in online teaching. A teacher is now no longer just an instructor but is also a content developer and designer of online curricula. She or he will also need skills in content-communication online. Teachers should also ensure appropriate video and voice qualities and if needed, some enrichment of the content before sharing them with students – all of which make online teachers “super”teachers!
Invisibility of Disability in Academia
My experience of being a person with disability and my interaction with persons with disability allow me to posit that the absence of the knowledge about the lived experiences of the disabled and the preconceived notions about normalcy allow to attach different social meanings to impaired bodies and these meanings question the knowledge of the disabled .